Nigerian Census: Bathrooms, stand up and be counted!
Just got off the phone from my mum telling me about the census in her part of Nigeria – Benin City.
Not only were the census officials interested in how many people made up her household they also wanted to know what sort of ceilings and floors the house had, how many cars they owned, how many bathrooms and toilets in the house, how many bedrooms as well!!! I have never heard anything so ridiculous in my life and neither had my parents who bluntly refused to answer these strange questions. I mean how does the number of bathrooms in a house have any bearing on census figures?
Was anyone else subjected to this, quite frankly, alarming line of questioning from Nigerian census officials?
posted by Pilgrimage to Self at 12:15 pm
6 Comments:
Yes, I think most people were asked these questions: how many cars; TV sets; radios; telephones; mobile phones; etc you have. I had visions of the enumerators returning as armmed robbers later at night.
I know someone who was asked about her sexual health. At least, I wasn't subjected to questions like that, esp. with my mother standing close by.
I assumed that they were using the opportunity to get data on the quality of life of Nigerians.
My parents felt the same way - i.e visions of them returning as armed robbers. I can't say I blame them - they have been robbed 6 times already!!! Given the high rate of armed robbery in the Country I am surprised that some people were willing to answer these questions.
My friend was gisting me of his experience with the enumerators asking how many tv's he had, if he a generator, cable, etc, and I am thinking I can smell local government here, and tv license smells even stronger! Apparently this information was for Lagos state govt, who were also carrying out a 'census' of their own.
This information was for the national census. The Lagos state census official came separately and did not ask any of these questions.
i can see your folks (and i guess a lot of Nigerians based at home) don't fully understand what the 2006 census is all about. it's a population and HOUSING census. checkout the official website and help your self to some useful information:
http://www.population.gov.ng/
They're trying to take the opportunity to gather as much information as they can about the quality of life and living conditions of Nigerians- not a bad idea. How useful the information to be gathered is and the use to which it will be put is another question entirely...
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